One of only nine (potentially ten) species of the order Heterodontiformes (or bullhead sharks – sharks that have been around longer that nearly all other sharks: for 200 Million years) is the Zebra bullhead shark (Heterodontus zebra), also known as Barred Bull-head Shark, Barred Shark, Bullhead Shark, Cat Shark, Little Shark, Striped Bullhead Shark, Striped Cat Shark, Zebra Horn Shark or Zebra Port Jackson Shark. Just like all its sisters, for instance the Horn shark and Port Jackson shark, it looks cute with its pig-like snout, small puckered mouth and chubby little body, but has got spines in front of its two dorsal fins.

Living on continental and insular shelves in the central Indo-Pacific from northern China and Japan to northern Australia, the Zebra bullhead shark is mostly found in depths shallower than 160 ft -50 m. It lays flat, auger-shaped egg cases with small tendrils at one end (oviparous). It is caught as bycatch and may also be under threat from destructive fishing practices within its range (such as cyanide and dynamite fishing in Indonesia) and habitat destruction.

Zebra bullhead sharks have a distinct and attractive color pattern: zebra stripes in dark brown or black (even russet in juveniles) on a white, light grey or light brown body and are between 6 in -15 cm- (after hatching) and 4 ft -1.2 m- long. That makes them suited for using in aquariums, but the small (roughly 5 ft -1.5 m- diameter) cylindrical tank in the picture seems hardly appropriate. I only hope this one is tough.